sararekuforever

Just curiosity, most people here are crazy for getting them all, but how many people here actually enjoy the movies?

And how many people think it's just silly/stupid/whatever?

Grimfarrow

I think most people are NOT crazy about getting them all. I only buy the films I like. Which means I have about 30-40 of them.

Only stupid and silly people think that Criterions and stupid and silly.

The Antipodean

You could just as easily ask "how many people think DVDs are silly/stupid/whatever." Some people are completists and want it all, most just buy the movies they want. I've got 5-6 Criterions but they're all ones I watch a lot. Frankly these days there's very little difference in the "Criterion treatment" and what you get on a lot of other good releases anyway. It's just a branding thing.

sararekuforever

What I meant is how many people think it's stupid or silly to buy every Criterion DVD without even watching the movie before?

Supermallet

That's an entirely different question. I think buying every film in the Criterion Collection just to have every film in the collection is about as stupid as buying every film released by Warner Bros. I have a friend who does want to own every Criterion film. So one night I popped in my copy of The Third Man and showed it to him. His response: "I hated that movie. It's a shame it's in the Criterion Collection, because I'll have to own it one day." I wanted to smack him. The only reason I could see to own every single Criterion release is for the day when Criterion goes out of business, you can then sell the entire collection for thousands or tens of thousands on ebay. But that's about it. That being said, I own many Criterions, and some films I have bought without seeing them, because they sounded intriguing, and if they're in the Criterion Collection, there's a higher chance I might like it than if it's simply a studio catalogue release. However, there are many films that Criterion has made that I take one look at and never think about again.

Mr. Salty

It's weird that we've never had a thread debating the value of collecting Criterion DVDs before. Oh, wait. We've had dozens of such threads, they've just been in the DVD area.

As far as enjoying the movies, Criterion has released more than 100 films on DVD and countless more on Laserdisc. As is the case with any other distributor, you can't paint their entire catalog with the same brush. Everybody will like something that Criterion has released. Virtually no one will like everything they have released.

Do you like "Silence of the Lambs," "Armageddon" or "The Rock"? Then you like Criterion. Do you like classic Hitchcock, like "The 39 Steps"? Then you like Criterion. Do you like Kurasawa? Terry Gilliam? Fellini? Truffaut? Then you like Criterion.

MrN

So, what's your response to this:
How many people think its stupid or silly to buy a movie ticket to a movie they haven't seen before?

What it comes down to is, some people do make 'blind-buys' and Criterion has a reputation of putting out famous/quality classic/indie/foreign films. You do the math.

cruzness

I only have a couple and I enjoy the ones I have. I would probably be interested in buying more of them if my budget wasn't hampered by my return to college. The way I see it - To Each His Own. Not every Criterion is made for every person.

TREX1993

The Criterion label itself means nothing to me: I won't buy a movie just because Criterion is putting it out, and I certainly don't think the discs themselves are any better than what New Line or Fox has done. If I'm interested in the movie, I buy the DVD. Actually, because of their over-inflated price, at times I am actually LESS likely to buy a Criterion...

FuzzyBallz

The only Criterion DVD I have is Chasing Amy, and that's only because I love the movie. I didn't even know Criterion was such a big thing when I bought the DVD. And the price? What the hell are they thinking? Selling 24k gold foiled DVDs? The only other Criterion I can think of buying is "In the Mood for Love" 'cause I want to see the special 2nd disc. But I already have the HK version, so no need to waste my money.

D-Ball

I don't think there's anything silly about it at all. People should buy whatever they like. Also, with Criterions, the value of them doesn't decrease over time as is the case with just about all other dvds. Criterion dvds never get a price reduction except for the ones distributed by Buena Vista, so you can always resell them for close to what you paid for them.

Jackskeleton

Uh.. this is like saying "How manypeople actually like Universal/Sony/Fox/Anchor Bay/etc. ?"

it's a distribution company, they carry a vast amount of titles and considering there past and the treatment they did on LD's that normal studio's just didn't do, I will give Criterion Collection Props for supporting film in mediums that no other studio would touch.


You can take your <3's and shine them else where.

Tscott

I actually enjoy films.

And Criterion does films right. If you want to go beyond what's playing at the local megaplex, Criterion is a great place to turn to in order to find older (sometimes obscure, sometimes great, always interesting) films.

Notorious, The Third Man, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Rashmon and more are great films that I personally love that are either only available on Criterion, or have the "definitive release" on Criterion.

I realize a few people do try to collect every title they've released, but I think most pick and choose only what they are interested in. I think it'd be impossible to find anyone who LOVES all 200 or so films they've released on DVD so far. But, if you already like a certain film they've released or are interested in finding out more about some great, influental works you usually can't go wrong picking and choosing stuff that interests you from their catalog.

Of course, in the end, whether someone wants to pay $30 for a restored and extra filled copy of Notorious, or pay $6 for a bare bones poor transfer release of the film, or skip that title altogether and get Uptown Girls for $19.99 instead is totally up to the buyer.

Tarnower

I love Criterion. They do DVD right! Their treatments of Ingmar Bergman's "Cries and Whispers" and Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs" are among the best DVDs I have ever seen. I also love the fact that they acquire certain films that might never see the light of day (Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage"), and not only release them to DVD, but give them a treatment that is nothing short of supreme.

I am just hoping that Criterion is able to acquire rights to two films that I have been waiting for that would seem perfect vehicles for them: Ingmar Bergman's 1983 masterpiece "Fanny and Alexander" (with all the recent Bergman material being released recently, I think the odds are getting better). The other is Jan Troell's magnificent 1972-73 "The Emigrant Saga," which combines two Swedish films, "The Emigrants" (1972; which actually was nominated for Best Picture alongside "Cabaret," "The Godfather," "Deliverance" and "Sounder") and "The New Land." While both have been available on VHS, the DVD prospects appear sadly slim.

So I'm hoping Criterion expresses interest in these two beauties. BTW, anyone heard anything on them? Hmmmmm????????

QuiGonJosh

They do great DVD's of great movies...I buy the ones I like...or that I think I will like...

Jan H

I have around 140 Criterion titles, and seen nearly all of the films in the catalogue. Do I want them all, just to be a completist? No. I'm not interested in the horror genre and I have no intention of dropping hundreds of dollars on titles like Salo, The Killer, etc. I own the ones I do because I want to become educated about world cinema, and Criterion discs are essentially an education in and of themselves. I have learned something about film narrative, cinematography, other cultures and the value systems of places and times from every Criterion I've seen. Also, the commentaries and documentaries featured on many titles are usually far superior to those on studio releases, which are often dumbed-down for the mass consumption. Criterions are more expensive than most other releases, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

QuiGonJosh

The Killer isn't horror...

Jan H

Right, but I was just giving an example of an over-priced OOP Criterion DVD like Spinal Tap, Seven Samurai (1st pressing) etc.

Pants

Like most others here, I only buy the titles I'm interested in.

But unlike the others there are only 10-15 titles I'm not interested in. So yes I have probably 200 Criterion titles. Unlike many of you who are film illiterates, over half of them are films I'd already seen before Criterion released them. The other half are films that I'm willing to take the risk on because I find that Criterion and I have the same eclectic taste. So if they put out Closely Watched Trains, for example, then I'll check it out. And I loved it, so it was great and I'm glad they released it.

rushmore223

Why? How much does a Criterion of Spinal Tap go for anyway?

Hmmmmmmmm.... I may have gold in my DVD collection.

JasonF

You ought to. The Third Man is a great movie.

The thing I like about the Criterion Collection is that they tend to pick good movies for inclusion in the selection. Inclusion in the collection -- like inclusion on the AFI Top 100 -- is an indication that some pretty knowledgable people recommend the film. It's not a guarantee that I'll like the movie, but it's better than a blind buy.

lesterlong

I don't think comparing Criterion to other studios is fair. Because Criterion is always consistent and releasing great DVDs. No other studio is like that! NONE!!

Groucho

It's all about the spine numbers.

SilverScreen

Criterion is truly a blessing to DVD'aholics like me. I only get the movies I REALLY like though so my Criterion "collection" is limited to all of Kurosawa's work and the movies that were American / mainstream. I could personally care less about spine numbers. I just wish (no flames please) that they did more classic American film. I'm just not a big Indie / Foreign movie fan (other than some of the Japanese directors). Now I'm not saying that they shouldn't do Indie / Foreign flicks because as Tarnower put it, these films probably would never see the light of day if they didn't do them. But how incredible would it be to have "Public Enemy", "Gone with the Wind" and "The Maltese Falcon" on Criterion.

And btw.... Suprmallet, smack your friend twice for me...

Tarnower

I completely agree with everything in your post. The beauty of foreign language films is the fact that they open doors to other worlds, cultures and, as you say, value systems. Excellent post!