“Clearly on a technical level colour contains a lot more information than B&W. Yet, when I watch a B&W film it is beautiful and I feel I’m seeing everything, and colour could not improve it.”
The human vision system is much more sensitive to varying degrees of luminance (brightness) than it is to chrominance (color). The B&W portion of the signal contains the majority of the image information. So, your feelings are completely justified!
I must say that I particularly enjoy the layering of B&W and color footage, such as can be seen in Madden’s work, and Von Trier’s Europa.
Also, Wes Anderson has expressed interest in making a B&W feature…
Get both! Stimulate the economy! Stimulate the industry! Push those Blu-ray sales figures! (L.A. Confidential is a better movie, nice addition to the collection. Children of Men is good fun though, and a solid movie)
I think you render your collection completely worthless (for resale) by discarding the packaging. If it becomes a viable option, I would happily import my collection into some sort of digital-only library, but if I did that and then wanted to sell the original DVDs (which will never happen), I wouldn’t be able to if I didn’t have the packaging. Or at least I wouldn’t get nearly as much money for them.
There is far too much time and effort put into the packaging (especially Criterions) to simply throw it away. Not to mention, part of what you’re paying for is the artwork, essays, and layout/design efforts of the people behind it.
Someone touched on this above, but I like books. I like to see the spines, enjoy the covers, and feel inspired by them. I also really enjoy owning and displaying CDs and LPs, and reading the liner notes, lyrics, etc. The same goes for my movies. It all adds to the appreciation of the movie/music/story.
If I feel like my collection is getting too big, I’ll give some away or sell a few. One thing I might suggest to those who feel they don’t have enough room to display, is only displaying your “To-Do List”: movies I’m planning to watch in the next few weeks/months (depending on available space)… So it’s all of my latest acquisitions, along with items from the closet that I’m ready to revisit. The rest are in accessible storage. This goes for my music and books, too.
In short, I strongly disagree with this practice. But… to each their own.
@Tom: I rarely post, but feel compelled to inquire… How old are you? I think maybe your age will reveal the nature of your strong opinion on this matter.
I must say, I’m always amazed at how film enthusiasts seem to spend most of their time trashing films. If you have something to say about a film, at least attempt to present a proper argument that is supported by some sort of logic. I think people have a hard time responding to your thoughts because they are rather … undeveloped.
Tom, I didn’t mean to be condescending. Heck, I’m no film school grad.. I just (honestly) thought that maybe you and I were of a similar age, in that we have a special place in our hearts for G.I. Joe!
But yes, I’m also bashing your commentary, which does not contain any relevant insight:
“Well, I did not like the main character in D9, and I didn’t care about him at all. In fact, I was wishing he would just die. So that’s a major problem in a film.”
I find it interesting that people are resisting Blu-ray, especially here, in this forum. Here are some points to consider:
1. Even at full HD, you STILL aren’t seeing all of the detail in the print, in terms of resolution and color depth. But BD is a much closer approximation.
2. Compression artifacts are virtually nonexistent in a well-authored BD, whereas you can almost always find them on a DVD. (even Criterions!)
3. Audio quality on a BD is (typically) FAR superior to the Dolby Digital audio on a DVD, provided that one of the newer codecs is used. (or PCM)
Yes, there are many ways to trash an image (edge enhancement, poor color correction, bad compression, etc) and these problems are exacerbated by HD, but that’s beside the point. The simple truth is that a properly-treated BD viewed on a calibrated, high-quality monitor is a more accurate representation of the print. Period.
Personally, I can’t really separate the image and sound quality from the film viewing experience.
All that said, there is no reason to throw away your DVD collection. The upsampling chips in the better transports (such as the PS3) are remarkable, and provide a perfectly adequate experience.
You know, I don’t think anything would make Criterion happier than to grant all of your wishes, and release your favorite film before Christmas. You do all realize that there are logistical issues that prevent that from happening, right? Contracts and rights to films, cost of restoration/packaging vs. predicted sales… And Criterion has a bottom line to meet, just like any other small company with a niche market during a recession.
Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth… You’re giving him a root canal.
Someone already pointed this out, but have you stopped to consider that maybe the AK box wasn’t intended for you? Just like Essential Art House, it contains films that die-hards already own.
You’re talking about a company full of people that have dedicated themselves to film, surrounds themselves with film scholars and writers, works closely with directors and cinematographers, attends major film festivals, has announced a partnership with the World Cinema Foundation, travels the world seeking the best film elements, and tirelessly restores them for our viewing pleasure.
And let’s not forget that Criterion is a daughter of Janus Films, the original art-house/foreign film distributor in the U.S.
Something tells me that there’s some formidable knowledge and passion inside that company. And I think that if you really wanted to, you could dig up some bio’s on the people that run the place. There are plenty of articles about Criterion, and interviews with employees available on the net.
And ultimately, who cares? Their product is the best available.
Shipping from the Criterion store is safe and reliable. As for the cost for Canadians…
From criterion.com: The Criterion Collection is required to collect sales tax for orders shipping to New York and Kentucky. Any applicable sales tax will be calculated in the checkout process and indicated on your Order Confirmation screen. All orders shipping to Canada will include an additional handling fee of 18% of the order merchandise total. This will be calculated in the checkout process and indicated on your Order Confirmation screen.
Favorite opening scene about 3 years ago
2001: A Space Odessy
The music alone makes it for me.
Go to Comment
Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion about 3 years ago
http://www.fangoriaonline.com/home/news/16-dvd-a-blu-ray/1979-del-toros-mimic-gets-a-directors-cut.html
Go to Comment
Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion about 3 years ago
I think the plastic packaging is nice, but I disagree about the cardboard being a bad choice. ANYTHING but the hideous blue plastic is fine by me.
Go to Comment
The Anti-Black & White Film Brigade about 3 years ago
“Clearly on a technical level colour contains a lot more information than B&W. Yet, when I watch a B&W film it is beautiful and I feel I’m seeing everything, and colour could not improve it.”
The human vision system is much more sensitive to varying degrees of luminance (brightness) than it is to chrominance (color). The B&W portion of the signal contains the majority of the image information. So, your feelings are completely justified!
I must say that I particularly enjoy the layering of B&W and color footage, such as can be seen in Madden’s work, and Von Trier’s Europa.
Also, Wes Anderson has expressed interest in making a B&W feature…
Go to Comment
Children of Men or L.A. Confidential on Blu-Ray? almost 3 years ago
Get both! Stimulate the economy! Stimulate the industry! Push those Blu-ray sales figures! (L.A. Confidential is a better movie, nice addition to the collection. Children of Men is good fun though, and a solid movie)
Go to Comment
Does anyone else throw their DVD packaging away? almost 3 years ago
I think you render your collection completely worthless (for resale) by discarding the packaging. If it becomes a viable option, I would happily import my collection into some sort of digital-only library, but if I did that and then wanted to sell the original DVDs (which will never happen), I wouldn’t be able to if I didn’t have the packaging. Or at least I wouldn’t get nearly as much money for them.
There is far too much time and effort put into the packaging (especially Criterions) to simply throw it away. Not to mention, part of what you’re paying for is the artwork, essays, and layout/design efforts of the people behind it.
Someone touched on this above, but I like books. I like to see the spines, enjoy the covers, and feel inspired by them. I also really enjoy owning and displaying CDs and LPs, and reading the liner notes, lyrics, etc. The same goes for my movies. It all adds to the appreciation of the movie/music/story.
If I feel like my collection is getting too big, I’ll give some away or sell a few. One thing I might suggest to those who feel they don’t have enough room to display, is only displaying your “To-Do List”: movies I’m planning to watch in the next few weeks/months (depending on available space)… So it’s all of my latest acquisitions, along with items from the closet that I’m ready to revisit. The rest are in accessible storage. This goes for my music and books, too.
In short, I strongly disagree with this practice. But… to each their own.
Go to Comment
GI Joe > District 9 over 2 years ago
@Tom: I rarely post, but feel compelled to inquire… How old are you? I think maybe your age will reveal the nature of your strong opinion on this matter.
I must say, I’m always amazed at how film enthusiasts seem to spend most of their time trashing films. If you have something to say about a film, at least attempt to present a proper argument that is supported by some sort of logic. I think people have a hard time responding to your thoughts because they are rather … undeveloped.
Go to Comment
GI Joe > District 9 over 2 years ago
Tom, I didn’t mean to be condescending. Heck, I’m no film school grad.. I just (honestly) thought that maybe you and I were of a similar age, in that we have a special place in our hearts for G.I. Joe!
But yes, I’m also bashing your commentary, which does not contain any relevant insight:
“Well, I did not like the main character in D9, and I didn’t care about him at all. In fact, I was wishing he would just die. So that’s a major problem in a film.”
More than anything, that’s just annoying. Sorry.
Go to Comment
How important is a perfect image quality for cinephiles? over 2 years ago
I find it interesting that people are resisting Blu-ray, especially here, in this forum. Here are some points to consider:
1. Even at full HD, you STILL aren’t seeing all of the detail in the print, in terms of resolution and color depth. But BD is a much closer approximation.
2. Compression artifacts are virtually nonexistent in a well-authored BD, whereas you can almost always find them on a DVD. (even Criterions!)
3. Audio quality on a BD is (typically) FAR superior to the Dolby Digital audio on a DVD, provided that one of the newer codecs is used. (or PCM)
Yes, there are many ways to trash an image (edge enhancement, poor color correction, bad compression, etc) and these problems are exacerbated by HD, but that’s beside the point. The simple truth is that a properly-treated BD viewed on a calibrated, high-quality monitor is a more accurate representation of the print. Period.
Personally, I can’t really separate the image and sound quality from the film viewing experience.
All that said, there is no reason to throw away your DVD collection. The upsampling chips in the better transports (such as the PS3) are remarkable, and provide a perfectly adequate experience.
Go to Comment
Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion Redux over 2 years ago
You know, I don’t think anything would make Criterion happier than to grant all of your wishes, and release your favorite film before Christmas. You do all realize that there are logistical issues that prevent that from happening, right? Contracts and rights to films, cost of restoration/packaging vs. predicted sales… And Criterion has a bottom line to meet, just like any other small company with a niche market during a recession.
Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth… You’re giving him a root canal.
Someone already pointed this out, but have you stopped to consider that maybe the AK box wasn’t intended for you? Just like Essential Art House, it contains films that die-hards already own.
Go to Comment
Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion Redux over 2 years ago
Agreed. The new titles should be made available in individual releases.
Go to Comment
Criterion-a bunch of people saying 'Hey! I heard that was good!' over 2 years ago
You’re talking about a company full of people that have dedicated themselves to film, surrounds themselves with film scholars and writers, works closely with directors and cinematographers, attends major film festivals, has announced a partnership with the World Cinema Foundation, travels the world seeking the best film elements, and tirelessly restores them for our viewing pleasure.
And let’s not forget that Criterion is a daughter of Janus Films, the original art-house/foreign film distributor in the U.S.
Something tells me that there’s some formidable knowledge and passion inside that company. And I think that if you really wanted to, you could dig up some bio’s on the people that run the place. There are plenty of articles about Criterion, and interviews with employees available on the net.
And ultimately, who cares? Their product is the best available.
Go to Comment
The DVD purchasing Experience!!! over 2 years ago
Shipping from the Criterion store is safe and reliable. As for the cost for Canadians…
From criterion.com: The Criterion Collection is required to collect sales tax for orders shipping to New York and Kentucky. Any applicable sales tax will be calculated in the checkout process and indicated on your Order Confirmation screen. All orders shipping to Canada will include an additional handling fee of 18% of the order merchandise total. This will be calculated in the checkout process and indicated on your Order Confirmation screen.
Go to Comment
PARIS, TEXAS is to be Criterioned! over 2 years ago
Criterion did a new transfer. ’nuff said.
Go to Comment