@DIMITRIS: Why don’t you start a company to compete with Criterion? Seriously. You could track down films from the countries and directors you’d like, breaking down logistical and political barriers that Criterion never could! You could then license the rights to these films through extensive research into their pasts, make contact with the directors and producers, their families, representatives, and estates. Then it’s simply a matter of traveling to these countries and tracking down the best existing picture and sound elements, and contracting the best film/video facility in the area to do an exhaustive transfer utilizing the best talent the region has to offer. Make sure you get everything approved by the director and director of photography, if they’re around! THEN, you could plan a series of original supplements, hire camera and audio crews, and conduct some interviews. How hard can that be? (Don’t forget to send this all out to a studio for post-production editing!) Commentary? Easy! Fly the director over to the states, put him/her up in a nice hotel for a few days and hire a recording studio to record and edit the commentary. Open up Photoshop and throw together some cover art. Nice, that was a piece of cake. A few essays by noted film scholars? Done. Restoration? C’mon, that’s easy if you’ve got all the necessary equipment and the skilled technicians. How much can that cost? Now just author the DVD and print up 10,000 copies or so.
Man, the films you put out will be so cool, so obscure, that hardly anyone will buy them! Stores won’t stock them! Your credibility will skyrocket! You won’t “sell out” and release the canonical mainstays or occasional blockbusters — you’ll stick to your guns. And you’ll dive head-first into Blu-ray, despite: 1. the fact that it is still relatively unproven, and 2. the massive cost. Re-release catalog titles to test the Blu-ray waters? No way! That’s just lame.
The world would be a better place without Criterion, no? Swedish, German, Finnish, Russian, Chinese, Slavic, Iranian, Indian, Czech, Japanese, French, Spanish, Polish, Danish, British, Canadian, American, Mexican and Italian films all suck for the most part anyway. Right? When are they going to pull their heads out of their arses and release some real films?
I was just trying to make a point, and a sarcastic one at that. Read: tongue-in-cheek. Would some emoticons have helped? ;-P
I have been reading this forum for a few weeks now and I was struck by the level of personal offense people seem to take from Criterion’s monthly selections. Truth be told, I only own a couple of Criterions. But I certainly appreciate what they do, and I don’t run my mouth when they release a title I’m not interested in. I simply refrain from purchasing it. Sure, there are a disproportionate number of French and Japanese films in their catalogue. Maybe that’s because they sell pretty well.. Or maybe Criterion has good relations with the rights-holders. Or maybe it’s because they all went to film school and these are the directors they wrote all their papers about. But who cares?
An analogous situation: An internet forum dedicated to eating out in NYC, where DIMITRIS is up-in-arms over the latest offerings from Bobby Flay. Just don’t freakin’ eat at Mesa Grill, dude! There’s other stuff to choose from. And if you’re so fed up with the selection, start a restaurant of your own. Or maybe when you realize the work that goes into it, you’ll just eat your damn Mahi Mahi. The choice is yours.
Slavic ~ Macedonian ~ Before the rain (no?)
I don’t think Kurosawa is Shakespeare, and I don’t think criterion is the bible. Like I said, I only own a few of their products, just the ones that appealed to me. They account for probably 10-15% of my DVD collection. No one said you have to go buy them all. My post was not so much in defense of criterion, as it was a dig at the people that just bitch, moan, bitch, moan — about a brand that has given a lot of great films new life.
And I’m not trolling, this is hardly off-topic.
My level of education? Them’s troll’s words!
Well said. Guess I never thought of it that way… I’ll also admit that I never really paid any attention to their mission statement.
I’m flip-flopping! I’ve been converted! Death to Criterion! ;-)
EDIT: However, I’d be interested to know how sustainable the sales would be from your example countries? Or, I guess some of you have suggested that simply by branding these movies as “criterions,” they would sell?
Reading the original post, I think a lot of the responses have interpreted the message as “throw away your DVDs,” and I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here. As a few people have already pointed out, many of us (myself included) have closets full of VHS tapes, laserdiscs, DVDs, vinyl, cassettes, and CDs. I also have hard drives full of movies and music in purely digital form. I don’t intend to throw any of it away, regardless of what the medium of the moment might be.
That said, Blu-ray rules. Literally. There is no other consumer format available that can reveal this amount of detail in a film.. If you can’t see the difference, you either need to buy a new television, or get your eyes checked. The sound is also a HUGE improvement over DVD (depending on the codec used) — and is actually a larger quality improvement than picture, which is still enormous.
There will always be people that resist change. They always lose in the end!
Watch the movies any way that you can, be it VHS, crappy streaming, DVD or blu-ray… But shouldn’t we always opt for the best available picture and sound?
And in response to the OP, yes… I buy blu whenever it’s an option. But I still watch (and love) my DVDs.
Auteurs = American company with an international focus
Criterion (in cahoots with Auteurs) = American company with focus on international films
Many (most?) people in this forum = American
Language spoken in this forum = English
The Academy Awards have a category called “Best Foreign Film.” To me, films made outside of the states are foreign.
Some people on this forum are simply too friggin’ sensitive, and take every opportunity to reinterpret others’ posts as ignorant, when they are not intended to be. Get over it. Get over yourself.
Sounds like the problem here is that you’re watching movies on an old computer system. I’m running a home theatre PC that is HDCP friendly, 1080p out via HDMI to my Samsung HDTV. The blu-ray drive/software wasn’t really that expensive. Most of the drives come with software anyway.
All said and done, I built it for less than $1000, not including the TV, of course.
@Dimitris: Maybe it’s lost in translation, but you come off like a jerk. In most of the threads I ready, it seems that you’re bitching about how everyone is so ignorant… which is, in the grand scheme of things, hardly the case. Just sayin’… Why post if you’re just going to write some negative crap?
I’d love it if this forum could refrain from technical discussion. The vast majority of posters here are incredibly misinformed on the subject of blu-ray, particularly the OP.
Blu is better than DVD in every way, except for the cost of admission.
Blu/HD doesn’t make things look glossy, contrasty, or over-saturated - over-processing in post production and bad restoration does that. Choose your studios wisely.
Blu doesn’t create that gooey motion — 240 Hz TVs do. Turn off the setting, or buy the right TV.
1920×1080 still doesn’t come close to the resolution of film. 2k? 4k? Closer.
If you have the right equipment and calibrate it properly, your experience will be much more film-like than DVD.
Yes, this is the UCLA restoration, and a very extensive one from what I’ve heard. It will be worth every penny. Not to mention, I’m sure the transfer is great… and Criterion typically does further digital restoration on the picture and sound.
I propose we start a new thread: “Complaints about Criterion”
And keep all of the naysaying thread hijackers in there. It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again. Criterion can’t just pick and choose what they want to release.
Well, anyway.. to chime in on the actual topic, The Hurt Locker was not a great movie, in my opinion. It was a decent movie. The acting may have been great, and the psychology of the soldier is an interesting topic, for sure. But there was no great story. I thought the cinematography was totally overworked, melodramatic, shaky-cam quick-zoom bull sh*t. The music was also terrible.
I stopped coming to this site because of Dimitris, about 6 months ago. Today, I randomly decided to pop in. How weird.
I haven’t paid attention to what’s been going on lately, but I always felt he brought the forum down. Each post seemed increasingly disrespectful. I felt frustrated, put off, insulted, and belittled by him. And I felt bad for the less-knowledgable (albeit interested), whom he attacked. Whether or not it was in jest is completely beside the point.
From the perspective of Efe (whom I’ve met, and he is a kindhearted individual, for sure!) & co., please try to understand that behavior such as that of Dimitris is not good for business. Of course there should be vigorous discourse on a discussion forum, but random acts of condescension? It’s simply unnecessary.
There are plenty of places on the internet to be rude (and plenty of forums where people are banned for much less!).
I think someone may have already pointed this out, but I suspect that Mubi is trying to attract a member base with a certain level of civility, to help establish a brand identity. I think we would agree that the content of the forum accounts for a portion of that identity, and as such, is important to monitor and occasionally steer.
And for the love of Pete, it sounds as if they gave ample warning.
Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion Redux over 2 years ago
@DIMITRIS: Why don’t you start a company to compete with Criterion? Seriously. You could track down films from the countries and directors you’d like, breaking down logistical and political barriers that Criterion never could! You could then license the rights to these films through extensive research into their pasts, make contact with the directors and producers, their families, representatives, and estates. Then it’s simply a matter of traveling to these countries and tracking down the best existing picture and sound elements, and contracting the best film/video facility in the area to do an exhaustive transfer utilizing the best talent the region has to offer. Make sure you get everything approved by the director and director of photography, if they’re around! THEN, you could plan a series of original supplements, hire camera and audio crews, and conduct some interviews. How hard can that be? (Don’t forget to send this all out to a studio for post-production editing!) Commentary? Easy! Fly the director over to the states, put him/her up in a nice hotel for a few days and hire a recording studio to record and edit the commentary. Open up Photoshop and throw together some cover art. Nice, that was a piece of cake. A few essays by noted film scholars? Done. Restoration? C’mon, that’s easy if you’ve got all the necessary equipment and the skilled technicians. How much can that cost? Now just author the DVD and print up 10,000 copies or so.
Man, the films you put out will be so cool, so obscure, that hardly anyone will buy them! Stores won’t stock them! Your credibility will skyrocket! You won’t “sell out” and release the canonical mainstays or occasional blockbusters — you’ll stick to your guns. And you’ll dive head-first into Blu-ray, despite: 1. the fact that it is still relatively unproven, and 2. the massive cost. Re-release catalog titles to test the Blu-ray waters? No way! That’s just lame.
The world would be a better place without Criterion, no? Swedish, German, Finnish, Russian, Chinese, Slavic, Iranian, Indian, Czech, Japanese, French, Spanish, Polish, Danish, British, Canadian, American, Mexican and Italian films all suck for the most part anyway. Right? When are they going to pull their heads out of their arses and release some real films?
Go to Comment
Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion Redux over 2 years ago
I was just trying to make a point, and a sarcastic one at that. Read: tongue-in-cheek. Would some emoticons have helped? ;-P
I have been reading this forum for a few weeks now and I was struck by the level of personal offense people seem to take from Criterion’s monthly selections. Truth be told, I only own a couple of Criterions. But I certainly appreciate what they do, and I don’t run my mouth when they release a title I’m not interested in. I simply refrain from purchasing it. Sure, there are a disproportionate number of French and Japanese films in their catalogue. Maybe that’s because they sell pretty well.. Or maybe Criterion has good relations with the rights-holders. Or maybe it’s because they all went to film school and these are the directors they wrote all their papers about. But who cares?
An analogous situation: An internet forum dedicated to eating out in NYC, where DIMITRIS is up-in-arms over the latest offerings from Bobby Flay. Just don’t freakin’ eat at Mesa Grill, dude! There’s other stuff to choose from. And if you’re so fed up with the selection, start a restaurant of your own. Or maybe when you realize the work that goes into it, you’ll just eat your damn Mahi Mahi. The choice is yours.
Slavic ~ Macedonian ~ Before the rain (no?)
I don’t think Kurosawa is Shakespeare, and I don’t think criterion is the bible. Like I said, I only own a few of their products, just the ones that appealed to me. They account for probably 10-15% of my DVD collection. No one said you have to go buy them all. My post was not so much in defense of criterion, as it was a dig at the people that just bitch, moan, bitch, moan — about a brand that has given a lot of great films new life.
And I’m not trolling, this is hardly off-topic.
My level of education? Them’s troll’s words!
Go to Comment
Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion Redux over 2 years ago
@ BLUE K — Touché!
Well said. Guess I never thought of it that way… I’ll also admit that I never really paid any attention to their mission statement.
I’m flip-flopping! I’ve been converted! Death to Criterion! ;-)
EDIT: However, I’d be interested to know how sustainable the sales would be from your example countries? Or, I guess some of you have suggested that simply by branding these movies as “criterions,” they would sell?
Go to Comment
Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion Redux over 2 years ago
Yeah but region 2 DVD = PAL = 4% speed up = boo!
Sorry! I will shush now.
Go to Comment
Anyone seen a good comedy recently? over 2 years ago
Skip the theatre for laughs. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Hulu.
Go to Comment
ANYONE ELSE STARTING TO ABANDON DVD FOR BLU-RAY? over 2 years ago
Reading the original post, I think a lot of the responses have interpreted the message as “throw away your DVDs,” and I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here. As a few people have already pointed out, many of us (myself included) have closets full of VHS tapes, laserdiscs, DVDs, vinyl, cassettes, and CDs. I also have hard drives full of movies and music in purely digital form. I don’t intend to throw any of it away, regardless of what the medium of the moment might be.
That said, Blu-ray rules. Literally. There is no other consumer format available that can reveal this amount of detail in a film.. If you can’t see the difference, you either need to buy a new television, or get your eyes checked. The sound is also a HUGE improvement over DVD (depending on the codec used) — and is actually a larger quality improvement than picture, which is still enormous.
There will always be people that resist change. They always lose in the end!
Watch the movies any way that you can, be it VHS, crappy streaming, DVD or blu-ray… But shouldn’t we always opt for the best available picture and sound?
And in response to the OP, yes… I buy blu whenever it’s an option. But I still watch (and love) my DVDs.
Go to Comment
ANYONE ELSE STARTING TO ABANDON DVD FOR BLU-RAY? over 2 years ago
Strawdawg, I feel the same way.
Just an informal poll, who here has a 32+ inch 1080p HDTV, a BD player, has watched a Criterion BD on it, and would still prefer the DVD version?
My guess is no one.
Go to Comment
can you name a truly great *foreign* film in the last 5 years... over 2 years ago
Auteurs = American company with an international focus
Criterion (in cahoots with Auteurs) = American company with focus on international films
Many (most?) people in this forum = American
Language spoken in this forum = English
The Academy Awards have a category called “Best Foreign Film.” To me, films made outside of the states are foreign.
Some people on this forum are simply too friggin’ sensitive, and take every opportunity to reinterpret others’ posts as ignorant, when they are not intended to be. Get over it. Get over yourself.
Go to Comment
ANYONE ELSE STARTING TO ABANDON DVD FOR BLU-RAY? over 2 years ago
Sounds like the problem here is that you’re watching movies on an old computer system. I’m running a home theatre PC that is HDCP friendly, 1080p out via HDMI to my Samsung HDTV. The blu-ray drive/software wasn’t really that expensive. Most of the drives come with software anyway.
All said and done, I built it for less than $1000, not including the TV, of course.
Go to Comment
Off-topic. Is the universe infinite? over 2 years ago
The universe is finite. What lies beyond its “boundary” is simply beyond our limited comprehension of space and time.
Go to Comment
are all criterions going to be released on blu ray eventually? over 2 years ago
“No, because of rights issues.”
This is the only response that makes any sense, and answers all the other BS arguments posted afterwards.
Go to Comment
No french audio track on the dvd over 2 years ago
“Yes, the listing “German, French, English” indicates a single, multi-language soundtrack, not three separate DUBs.”
Yup. This is standard, not a misrepresentation in any way.
Go to Comment
French New Wave over 2 years ago
@Dimitris: Maybe it’s lost in translation, but you come off like a jerk. In most of the threads I ready, it seems that you’re bitching about how everyone is so ignorant… which is, in the grand scheme of things, hardly the case. Just sayin’… Why post if you’re just going to write some negative crap?
Go to Comment
blu-ray is kinda bullshit over 2 years ago
I’d love it if this forum could refrain from technical discussion. The vast majority of posters here are incredibly misinformed on the subject of blu-ray, particularly the OP.
Blu is better than DVD in every way, except for the cost of admission.
Blu/HD doesn’t make things look glossy, contrasty, or over-saturated
-over-processing in post production and bad restoration does that. Choose your studios wisely.Blu doesn’t create that gooey motion — 240 Hz TVs do. Turn off the setting, or buy the right TV.
1920×1080 still doesn’t come close to the resolution of film. 2k? 4k? Closer.
If you have the right equipment and calibrate it properly, your experience will be much more film-like than DVD.
Can we just talk about films, please?
Go to Comment
blu-ray is kinda bullshit over 2 years ago
It will be quite some time before the quality of any streaming video catches up to the data rate of BD.
Go to Comment
What is this obsession with Criterion? over 2 years ago
All else equal, always go with a region 1 DVD. NTSC transfers are much closer to the actual speed of the film than PAL.
Go to Comment
God Bless You, Criterion over 2 years ago
Yes, this is the UCLA restoration, and a very extensive one from what I’ve heard. It will be worth every penny. Not to mention, I’m sure the transfer is great… and Criterion typically does further digital restoration on the picture and sound.
I propose we start a new thread: “Complaints about Criterion”
And keep all of the naysaying thread hijackers in there. It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again. Criterion can’t just pick and choose what they want to release.
Go to Comment
Still perplexed about why critics love hurt locker over 2 years ago
Well, anyway.. to chime in on the actual topic, The Hurt Locker was not a great movie, in my opinion. It was a decent movie. The acting may have been great, and the psychology of the soldier is an interesting topic, for sure. But there was no great story. I thought the cinematography was totally overworked, melodramatic, shaky-cam quick-zoom bull sh*t. The music was also terrible.
Go to Comment
FREE DIMITRIS ! FREE DIMITRIS ! almost 2 years ago
I stopped coming to this site because of Dimitris, about 6 months ago. Today, I randomly decided to pop in. How weird.
I haven’t paid attention to what’s been going on lately, but I always felt he brought the forum down. Each post seemed increasingly disrespectful. I felt frustrated, put off, insulted, and belittled by him. And I felt bad for the less-knowledgable (albeit interested), whom he attacked. Whether or not it was in jest is completely beside the point.
From the perspective of Efe (whom I’ve met, and he is a kindhearted individual, for sure!) & co., please try to understand that behavior such as that of Dimitris is not good for business. Of course there should be vigorous discourse on a discussion forum, but random acts of condescension? It’s simply unnecessary.
There are plenty of places on the internet to be rude (and plenty of forums where people are banned for much less!).
I think someone may have already pointed this out, but I suspect that Mubi is trying to attract a member base with a certain level of civility, to help establish a brand identity. I think we would agree that the content of the forum accounts for a portion of that identity, and as such, is important to monitor and occasionally steer.
And for the love of Pete, it sounds as if they gave ample warning.
Go to Comment